A Novel Practical to Demonstrate Systemic and Local Regulation of Circulation in A Human Subject

Purpose of the study: Systemic and local regulation of peripheral circulation is a vital concept to be taught to undergraduate medical students. There is lack of an effective practical module to demonstrate and reinforce the theoretical understanding of this concept. Methodology: We designed a simple feasible novel practical using finger pulse recording coupled with hand grip test and reactive hyperemia protocol to elicit systemic and local regulation of peripheral circulation respectively. Main findings: The reduction in finger pulse amplitude during hand grip contralateral to the exercising hand demonstrates systemic regulation while the isolated ipsilateral increase in finger pulse amplitude during reactive hyperemia demonstrates local regulation. Conclusion: Here we propose a simple novel practical for effective demonstration of systemic and local regulation of circulation for under-graduate teaching in physiology. J Physiol Pharmacol 2016; 60(3) : 217–221 *Corresponding author : Dr. K.K Deepak, Prof. & Head, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, New Delhi. Email: [email protected] (Received on April 12, 2015) is not only to impart new psycho-motor skills but also to reinforce the understanding of theoretical concepts (4). The cognizance of the concept of systemic and local regulation of circulation is a crucial component of MBBS teaching and additionally indispensable for its actual application in clinical setting by the medical graduate. Reviewing the course syllabus prescribed by Medical council of India and various health sciences’ universit ies (1-3) across the country, we found that physiology practical teaching modules lack experiments that demonstrate systemic and local regulat ion of peripheral circulation. Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a widely available, simple, cheap and sensitive optical measurement Introduction Phys io logy o f card iovascular sys tem (CVS) constitutes an important portion of undergraduate teaching curriculum that comprises of about 17-25 didactic lectures dedicated to its understanding in most medical schools (1-3). However, practical sessions focusing on this system are limited. The purpose of practical teaching in medical schools 218 Kaur, Chandran, Jaryal and Deepak Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2016; 60(3)